When in Doubt, Make Cookies
by MusicNeverStops474
Summary: Tobey's in tears when he gets home from school, can his Mum help him feel better?


**Author's Note**** Random one-shot I came up with in the car, don't judge I was bored. Hope you like it and review!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing (which totally sucks!)  
**

"I thought I told Tobey to clean up his things before he left. Oh well," thought Claire McCallister as she bent down to scoop up Tobey's scattered robot parts and tools. Her 7 year old son had some sort of robot obsession ever since the last Christmas when he'd received his first robot kit. Ever since, he had been building robots non stop and each was a work of art. They weren't like other children's, all glitched and flawed, but contained a certain gracefulness about them. From that first morning when he presented his first robot, Claire knew for sure that her little boy was a mechanical genius.

The slam of their front door yanked her out of her thoughts and she called out, "Hello Tobey, I'm in the kitchen. Come talk to me."

A slightly wavering voice answered from the hall, "I have homework," which was followed by the thumping sound of feet going up the stairs and the click of his bedroom door shutting.

Confused, Claire set down the pieces of metal and climbed up the stairs herself. Tobey not being happy after a tiring day of school struck her as odd since she wad used to having a cheerful and talktative boy, quite the opposite of this unsocial, sad sounding boy upstairs. She hoped that the kids at school hadn't upset him again because it happened way too often. He was always teased at school for, well, eveything from his glasses to his spectacular gift with robots. Usually, Tobey ignored their jibes but there was the odd time when they would strike a nerve and he would come home in tears. Which, as a result, led to Claire spending a good time trying to cheer him up.

After knocking and receiving a muttered, "Come in," she strode into Tobey's decorated bedroom. The bed sank a little as she sat down and Tobey turned away so she couldn't see the tears streaming down his broken hearted face. He heard her sigh softly and felt her protective arms pull him close to her. When he still didn't meet her eyes, she asked gently, "Would you like to tell me what happened at school today?"

"Nothing happened," he replied, staring at his scuffed up shoes.

"Really? Then why are you crying sweetheart?"

He drew in a shaky breath and answered softly, "It's nothing; some boys were just teasing me again. The usual; my glasses, my clothes, my nerdiness..."

"What else?"

"They-" the words got stuck in his throat for a moment as his eyes teared up again, "they told me I was freak and it was no wonder that Dad left me."

Claire felt anger bubbling up inside her, how dare they say that to her son! The principal would most certainly be hearing about this, those boys had overstepped their mark.

A soft sob drew her back to reality where she was clutching her sobbing boy. She held him closer and laid his head on her shoulder and began stroking his hair to relax him. She shifted her head and whispered in his ear, "No son of mine is a freak and as for your father, well, it was his descision to leave us and you deserve far better anyways."

Tobey was still crying but more softly now and murmured back, "Why am I different Mum? Why can't I be normal like everone else?"

As Claire gazed into her son's saphire eyes, she saw him, so eager to prove himself as she had been as a child. She pulled away slightly and replied, "You're unique from everyone else because you're not afraid to show your talents. Those other boys cover up their gifts and talents in order to be considered 'cool'. It's not worth the trouble of being cool if you have to give up the things that really matter to you. It's so much better to just be yourself and in your case, that would mean being the smartest boy I know as well as the sweetest."

By now, a smile had creapt up on Tobey's face and it was as if a bright glow surrounded his personage. Claire smiled fondly at him and stood them up, hands entwined, and asked as they headed out the door, "So, now that you've got your happy cap back on, would you be up to making some cookies?"


End file.
